Mystic Seaport Welcomes Autumn with Annual Chowderfest

New this year: visiting tugboats to dock at Museum during Columbus Day Weekend Event

Mystic, Conn. ~ Visiting tugboats Pegasus and Theodore Too, a wide variety of chowders and family-friendly activities will be featured at Chowderfest, the annual Columbus Day Weekend event  at Mystic Seaport Saturday through Monday, October 9 -11, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
            The newly restored, 103-year-old tugboat Pegasus, a maritime icon listed in the National Register of Historic Places, will be docked along the Museum’s waterfront Saturday through Monday with the tug’s wheelhouse, engine room and deck open to visitors each morning and afternoon. Built in Baltimore, MD, for the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, Pegasus had an illustrious career in New York harbor and saw service in both world wars. In the 1990s, Pegasus began her second career as an educational platform and now visits waterfront communities to help the public understand the role harbors play as rich natural habitats and contributors to our daily economy.    

            Canadian character tug Theodore Too, the life-size replica of the fictional tug Theodore from the popular Canadian children’s television show Theodore Tugboat, will also be docked along the Museum’s waterfront Saturday, October 9, through Sunday, October 17. Visitors will be able to board the tug and talk with the vessel’s crew about water safety and take pictures of themselves in the captain’s chair. When in Halifax, Theodore escorts cruise ships and gives daily harbor tours. The vessel also personifies the popular image of a cheerful, hardworking harbor tug.

Chowderfest’s menu, prepared by Coastal Gourmet, will feature seven varieties of chowder:  New England, Manhattan, Rhode Island, lobster, seafood, blue crab apple and clam and corn. Other items, such as stuffed clams, hamburgers and hot dogs will also be available, as well as seasonal desserts, beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages. Menu items are not included in Museum admission.

Additionally, visitors can further explore the world of tugboats in the Museum’s newest exhibit, TUGS!, listen to live music, watch planetarium programs detailing autumn’s night sky, take a closer look at fall foliage aboard the steamboat Sabino and learn 19th-century chowder cooking techniques in the Buckingham-Hall house. Children are invited to make a “clammy” art project in the Children’s Museum, build a wooden toy boat keepsake and create a tug masterpiece at the Art Spot.

Support for Chowderfest is provided by Shipyard Brewing Company and Coastal Gourmet, the Museum’s official food service provider. Visits by Pegasus and Theodore Too have been made possible by a grant awarded to Mystic Seaport from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism (CCT).

Second-day admission for Chowderfest is complimentary upon ticket validation. For more information, visit www.mysticseaport.org/chowderfest.

                        Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaleship in the world. Admission is $24 for adults, $15 for youth ages 6-17 and free for children ages 5 and under. For more information, visit www.mysticseaport.org.